Synthesis of N-methyl imines in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyridine) as a reusable solid base catalyst by a mechanochemical process

The synthesis of N-methyl imines was performed in the presence of catalytic amounts of poly(4-vinylpyridine) in high yields and rapidly at room temperature by a ball milling process. This new method has some advantages including good yields for relatively unreactive carbonyl compounds and short reaction times as well as being green in terms of avoiding the use of toxic reagents and solvents. The major advantage of this process is that the catalyst can be easily regenerated and reused several times without any significant loss of activity.